East Bay Insiders returns on Wednesday morning

Hi all,

I got some things out of my system and reevaluated how I present you with information five days a week. Here’s some of the changes that will begin on Wednesday:

The biggest change is when you receive the newsletter. Because writing and reporting is not my only job, there was no set time for when the newsletter appears in your inbox.

To fix that, I’m switching the publishing time from the general late afternoon schedule to 6 a.m. each weekday. If breaking news occurs during the day, paid subscribers will receive an extra newsletter on those days.

The paywall will also be strongly enforced, and there will be no increase in price. The first year of the newsletter was a financial success. If I can replicate the number of paid subscriptions and build upon it this year, there’s a good chance that I can hire a reporter (I’ve been scouting) and expand your daily offerings and maybe even expand (fingers crossed) into Contra Costa County and Santa Clara County, as some of you have asked.

And while I’m not a critic of Twitter, it’s becoming clear that many of you utilize the service less than before. I’ll continue to post on Twitter, but the kids tell me Instagram is where it’s at. I’ll begin experimenting with the East Bay Insiders on Instagram in coming weeks and months. I’ve got some ideas that could merge the newsworthiness of the newsletter with the irreverence of the podcast.

About the podcast: Expect it with more frequency and structure to each episode. It’s often difficult to rein us in without losing the improvisation spirit of the show.

As they say, everything and everybody is a work in process.

Steve